JASIN, April 12 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) plans to expand the MySaveFood programme in night markets nationwide after the Aidilfitri festive celebration.

Its Deputy Minister, Senator Fuziah Salleh said the effort had received positive feedback from traders’ associations, which intend to cooperate, in addition to involving trade associations and GEMA Malaysia Youth Organisation.

“If we look at the MySaveFood initiative, it has shown positive efforts after managing to save a total of 19.84 tonnes of food from wastage during the Ramadan month.

“The collection of unsold food is carried out after the breaking of fast, then separated and weighed for record purposes before being distributed to the targeted groups that are in need,” she told reporters, here, today.

Earlier, she attended the MySaveFood Ramadan programme at the Bandar Baru Merlimau Rahmah Ramadan Bazaar (BRR), which was also attended by Melaka Entrepreneur Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Alex Seah Shoo Shin and Melaka KPDN director Norena Jaafar.

Elaborating, Fuziah said that according to Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp), an estimated 75,000 tonnes of food will be wasted this year if no action is taken to save food.

“The data is obtained from the expected 15 per cent increase in the month of Ramadan, which recorded 19,228 tonnes of food thrown away daily nationwide.

“This is compared to the 16,720 tonnes of food waste collected on normal days, showing an increase of 2,508 tonnes per day during the Ramadan month,” she said.

She added that the MySaveFood programme involved 1,227 volunteers in 43 selected Ramadan bazaar locations nationwide.

She said the KPDN has also collaborated with selected hotels nationwide to save untouched food by extending the shelf life of food through the retort process.

“A total of 792 packs of food equivalent to 62 kilogrammes that have undergone the retort process and been distributed to students of institutions of higher learning,” she said.

Meanwhile, Fuziah said the KPDN will also continue the expansion of the Retail Sector Digitalisation Initiative (ReDI) by giving e-cash incentives to consumers or merchants in the form of e-wallets with the cooperation of strategic partners, subject to the first 1,000 users at all BRR locations in Melaka.

-- BERNAMA